Utilization of Alkali-Activated Olivine in Soil Stabilization and the Effect of Carbonation on Unconfined Compressive Strength and Microstructure
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper reports for the first time the stabilization of soil using olivine and the application of novel techniques utilizing alkaline activation and carbonation. A rigorous study addressed the effect of carbon dioxide pressure and alkali concentration (10-M sodium hydroxide soil additions from 5 to 20%) between 7 and 90 days. Microstructural and compositional changes were evaluated using microscopic, spectroscopic, and diffraction techniques. Results demonstrate the advantages of using olivine in the presence of NaOH and the associated increases in soil shear strength of up to 40% over 90 days. Samples subjected to carbonation for a further 7 days led to additional increases in soil strength of up to 60%. Microstructural investigations before and after carbonation attributed the strength development to the formation of , hydrated magnesium carbonates, and M─S─H, A─S─H gel phases. The impact of this work is far reaching and provides a new soil stabilization approach. Key advantages include significant improvements in soil strength with a lower carbon footprint compared with lime or cement stabilization.
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Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank the University Putra Malaysia and Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS/1/2015/TK01/UPM/01/2) entitled “Sustainable Soil Stabilization by Olivine and its Mechanisms” funded by the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia (Vote Number 5524745) for financial support of this research. Moreover, sincere thanks are due to Professor Emeritus Dr. R. D. Schuiling from the Netherlands who sparked the idea of using olivine for soil improvement and stabilization and shared some particularly fruitful discussions with us.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 29 • Issue 6 • June 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 3, 2016
Accepted: Sep 26, 2016
Published online: Jan 24, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jun 24, 2017
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